DULCE AND PASTRIES
Molten Chocolate Cake
Vanilla Macarons
Lemon and Raspberry Semifreddo
Molten Chocolate Cake
- TOTAL TIME
PREPARATION
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, plus more for buttering the molds
- 4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons flour, plus more for dusting the molds
- 1.
- Put the butter in a medium bowl and melt it in the microwave. Add the chocolate to the hot butter and stir until melted.
- 2.
- Crack 2 eggs into a bowl, and add 2 more yolks (discard the extra whites). Add the sugar, and beat or whisk until light and thick, about 1 minute. Add egg mixture and 2 teaspoons flour to the melted chocolate; beat until combined.
- 3.
- Butter and lightly flour four 4-ounce molds or ramekins (make sure not to miss any spots, or the cakes will stick). Tap out the excess flour. Divide the batter among the molds. (At this point you can refrigerate them for up to 3 hours; just bring them back to room temperature before baking.)
- 4.
- When you’re ready to bake, heat the oven to 450. Put the molds on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the cakes have puffed up a bit, the tops are barely set and the cakes still jiggle slightly when shaken, 7 to 9 minutes (better underbaked than overbaked). Let sit for 1 minute.
- 5.
- Put a plate on top of the ramekin and (with a potholder to protect your hand) carefully invert the cake onto the plate. Let it sit for 10 seconds, then lift up the ramekin. Serve immediately, with ice cream, sorbet or whipped cream.
- YIELD
- 4 servings
Courtesy NY Times
Vanilla Macarons
VANILLA MACARONS
Ingredients
1¾ cups almond flour
3 cups powdered sugar
7 egg whites, divided
⅓ cup water
1 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
Directions - Preheat oven to 275°F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and line with a piece of parchment paper. - Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar into a medium bowl and set aside. Using a standing mixer fitted with a whisk, begin to whip three egg whites to a medium peak. Meanwhile, combine water and sugar in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat. - Simmer while monitoring with a candy thermometer; be careful not to overbeat egg whites. Remove syrup from heat when temperature reaches 240°F. - Continuing to whip the egg whites on medium speed, pour the syrup down the side of the bowl to incorporate slowly. Increase speed and whip until whites form glossy, very stiff peaks. Using a spatula, stir the remaining egg whites and the vanilla seeds into the flour mix, making a smooth paste. - With the spatula, fold one third of whipped egg whites into the batter; then gently fold in the rest. Stir until the batter falls in a ribbon when you lift the spatula. - Using a soupspoon and your finger, place round dollops onto the baking sheet, about an inch apart. The batter should be stiff enough that the macarons hold their shape. (Cover batter with plastic film when not scooping.) Lightly tap the sheet to settle the batter. - Let the cookies sit at room temperature until a light crust forms, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with your choice of toppings (see below). Bake for 5 minutes, then rotate the pan 180° and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove the cookies and let them cool. - Repeat the process until all the batter is used. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for two days, or frozen. Makes 70 cookies or 30 sandwich cookies.
Suggested Fillings
Fresh strawberry slices
Fresh raspberries
Nutella
Fruit jam
Orange marmalade
Ingredients
1¾ cups almond flour
3 cups powdered sugar
7 egg whites, divided
⅓ cup water
1 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
Directions - Preheat oven to 275°F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and line with a piece of parchment paper. - Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar into a medium bowl and set aside. Using a standing mixer fitted with a whisk, begin to whip three egg whites to a medium peak. Meanwhile, combine water and sugar in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat. - Simmer while monitoring with a candy thermometer; be careful not to overbeat egg whites. Remove syrup from heat when temperature reaches 240°F. - Continuing to whip the egg whites on medium speed, pour the syrup down the side of the bowl to incorporate slowly. Increase speed and whip until whites form glossy, very stiff peaks. Using a spatula, stir the remaining egg whites and the vanilla seeds into the flour mix, making a smooth paste. - With the spatula, fold one third of whipped egg whites into the batter; then gently fold in the rest. Stir until the batter falls in a ribbon when you lift the spatula. - Using a soupspoon and your finger, place round dollops onto the baking sheet, about an inch apart. The batter should be stiff enough that the macarons hold their shape. (Cover batter with plastic film when not scooping.) Lightly tap the sheet to settle the batter. - Let the cookies sit at room temperature until a light crust forms, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with your choice of toppings (see below). Bake for 5 minutes, then rotate the pan 180° and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove the cookies and let them cool. - Repeat the process until all the batter is used. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for two days, or frozen. Makes 70 cookies or 30 sandwich cookies.
Suggested Fillings
Fresh strawberry slices
Fresh raspberries
Nutella
Fruit jam
Orange marmalade
Recipe from Daniel Boulud
Courtesy ahalife
Ingredients (makes 8)
- 3 cups of cashew nuts, raw and unsalted
- ½ cup honey, agave syrup or sugar syrup
- 2½ cups coconut milk
- 1¼ cups lemon juice and rind finely grated
- Pinch of salt
- Handful of fresh or frozen raspberries
- Handful of macadamia or Brazil nuts, raw, unsalted and roughly chopped
- Edible flowers
- Loose berries
- Shavings of crème fraîche ice cream and berry coulis (optional)
Method
Step 1: Blend cashews, honey, coconut milk, lemon juice and salt in a blender until the cashews have turned into a smooth cream. If there is still a grain in the cream, strain the mixture through a fine sieve.
Step 2: Carefully fold the raspberries and nuts through the lemon cream and then pour into a loaf tin. Wrap silver foil around the tin and place in the freezer overnight.
Step 3: When ready to serve, warm the outside of the tin with your hands. Take a hot knife, cut a slice of the log and place on a plate. To dress it up, scatter a few edible flowers and loose berries on the plate (add a few shavings of crème fraîche ice cream and a drizzle of berry coulis if desired).
Recipe via Stylist.co.UK
Boysenberry-strawberry glazed pie
Total time: 30 minutes, plus chilling time
Servings: 6
Note: Adapted from Patricia Poole of Kincaid Farms in Redlands. She says, "The idea of using strawberries is that they are less expensive than boysenberries. Try not to eat the whole pie if anyone is watching."
1 pint boysenberries, divided, more as desired for assembly
1 cup water
1/3 to 3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Pinch of salt
1 pint strawberries (sliced if they're large), more as desired for assembly
1 prepared (9-inch) pie shell
Whipped cream, optional
1. In a medium saucepan, crush 1 cup of the boysenberries with a fork. Add the water and cook over low heat just enough to soften the berries, about 2 minutes. Sieve the boysenberries through a food mill or a fine strainer to extract the seeds, collecting the juice in a bowl and then returning it to the saucepan.
2. In a bowl, combine the sugar (the amount of sugar will affect the sweetness of the pie), cornstarch and a pinch of salt. Slowly pour the mixture into the boysenberry juice, stirring to prevent lumps. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, just until the puree thickens, about 3 minutes.
3. Place a layer of strawberries in the prepared pie shell. Scatter half the remaining boysenberries on top of the strawberries, and top with just enough sauce to cover the first layer. Repeat for the second layer, adding remaining strawberries, boysenberries and sauce.
4. Chill in the refrigerator until set, at least 30 minutes. Serve with whipped cream.
Berry Fruit Salad
Total time: 15 minutes, plus 2 hours resting time for the salad
Servings: 6
Servings: 6
Note: Adapted from "Ten: All the Foods We Love . . . and Ten Recipes for Each" by Sheila Lukins. Assemble the blueberry fool no more than 2 hours prior to serving.
Berry fruit salad
1 pint fresh blueberries, lightly rinsed and patted dry
1 pint fresh blackberries, lightly rinsed and patted dry
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
In a large, nonreactive bowl, combine the blueberries, blackberries, lemon juice and sugar. Let the mixture rest for 2 hours at room temperature for the juices to develop. Shortly before serving, toss the berry mixture with the chopped mint. While the salad is resting, prepare the fool.
Blueberry fool and final assembly
1 pint (2 cups) fresh blueberries, lightly rinsed and patted dry, divided
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 1/2 cups heavy (whipping) cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup crème fraîche
6 full mint sprigs, for garnish
1. In a small saucepan, place 1 cup of the blueberries and one-fourth cup sugar over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved and the berries have softened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer the berries to a medium bowl to cool completely. (To speed the process, chill the berries in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes or about 5 minutes in the freezer.) Add the remaining cup blueberries to the cooled blueberries and set aside.
2. While the berries are cooling, in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, whip together the cream, remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and vanilla to form soft peaks. Add the crème fraîche and continue beating until it is combined and the mixture again forms soft peaks.
3. Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold the blueberries into the whipped mixture, being careful not to overmix. (You want to create a marbleized effect.) Refrigerate, loosely covered, for up to 2 hours before serving.
4. To serve, spoon about one-half cup of the fruit salad into each of 6 dessert bowls, and top with a generous portion of the fool. Garnish each portion with a mint sprig.
Strawberry Shortcake
Ultimate Strawberry Shortcake
Total time: 40 min.
4 pints strawberries, rinsed and hulled
4 pints strawberries, rinsed and hulled
1/4 cup sugar
10 shortcakes
2 cups whipping cream, whipped
Cut strawberries in half and toss with sugar. Set aside 1/2 hour.
Split each Shortcake while still warm. Spoon plenty of strawberries over bottom of each shortcake, top with generous spoonful of whipped cream and set top half of Shortcake on top. Makes 10 servings.
Wild Blueberry Buckle
Wild Blueberry Buckle
The following recipe is from "The Jordan Collection of New England Cookery" (Jordan Hospital Club, Plymouth, Mass., 1976).
BUCKLE INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 egg
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk
2 cups blueberries
STREUSEL INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
BUCKLE
Cream sugar and shortening by beating until fluffy, then beat in egg. Sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Add to shortening alternately with milk. Blend in blueberries and pour into buttered and floured 10x6-inch baking dish.
STREUSEL
Mix sugar, cinnamon, flour and butter and sprinkle over top of buckle. Bake at 375 degrees until top is browned, about 45 minutes. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
BUCKLE INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 egg
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk
2 cups blueberries
STREUSEL INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
BUCKLE
Cream sugar and shortening by beating until fluffy, then beat in egg. Sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Add to shortening alternately with milk. Blend in blueberries and pour into buttered and floured 10x6-inch baking dish.
STREUSEL
Mix sugar, cinnamon, flour and butter and sprinkle over top of buckle. Bake at 375 degrees until top is browned, about 45 minutes. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Courtesy of The LATimes
